ICC adopts new format for ODI 2027 World Cup

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jul, 2026) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a new format for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup from the 2027 edition as the tournament expands from 10 to 14 teams with a novel Super 7 stage.

In a press release on Wednesday, the ICC announced a new format for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

With the tournament expanding from 10 to 14 teams, a new three-stage format has been introduced to deliver more competitive cricket and enhance the experience for fans.

The tournament has been divided into three rounds before the semi-finals and the final.

Round 1 - The competition will begin with a Super Series featuring the three lowest-ranked of the 14 qualified teams in a round-robin format.

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The team that finishes top of the Super Series will progress to the next stage of the competition.

Round 2 (30 matches) - The next stage of the tournament will feature 12 teams competing across 30 matches. The teams will be divided into two groups of six and play in a round-robin format. The top three teams from each group, along with the next best-placed team across both groups, will advance to the Super 7 stage.

Round 3, Super 7 (21 matches) - The Super 7 stage will consist of 21 round-robin matches, with the top four teams progressing to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the team finishing first in the Super 7 standings will face the fourth-placed side, while the second-placed team will take on the third-placed team.

Semi-finals: The winners of the two semi-finals will compete in the final for the ultimate prize.